Eco-Totem Installed in Kendall Square

The City of Cambridge has installed a new permanent bicycle count station in Kendall Square to collect accurate data on bicycle usage in this area of the city. The “Eco-Totem” counter­­­, which is the first in Massachusetts, counts people on bike via in-ground loop detectors and displays the daily and cumulative totals on the street monitor for commuters to view. The system also captures weather data for analytical purposes.

“We know that a lot of people are traveling by bicycle in Cambridge and that the numbers have been increasing for more than a decade,” said City Manager Richard c. Rossi. “Having access to real-time data collected on a 24/7 basis will be an important planning tool for the city.”

Bicycling is on the rise in Cambridge. The 1990 US Census reported that 3% of Cambridge residents commuted by bicycle, while the American Community Survey for the three year period 2011-2013 shows 7% of residents commuting by bike. Traffic counts conducted by the City found that between 2002 and 2012, bicycle trips in Cambridge tripled in number.

“We think this is a fantastic project for Cambridge, recently rated by BikeScore as the most bike-friendly city in the U.S.,” said Steven Bercu, a director of the Helen and William Mazer Foundation.  “Cambridge is really showing leadership by recognizing the role bicycling plays in a healthy and livable city and by continuing to innovate with its bike network.”

The data collected by the new counter will allow the public to see, in real-time, how many people are bicycling in the area. The 24/7 data can be used by City staff to analyze daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal patterns, in planning traffic patterns and roadway configurations, and to assist in crash rate analyses. The data will also be available to the public at  cambridgema.gov/bikecounts and, in the coming months, on the City’s Open Data Portal.

“By displaying live tracking information of bicycling in our community, we are further highlighting its importance as a crucial mode of transportation for our city,” added Acting Assistant City Manager for Community Development, Iram Farooq. “This information is valuable also in that it will be accessible online and can be analyzed by the public.”

Funding for the Eco-Totem was provided by a grant from the Helen and William Mazer Foundation. The Eco-Totem is produced by Eco-Counter of Montreal.

For more information, contact Cara Seiderman, cseiderman@cambridgema.gov or 617-349-4629.